Ear

Ear Conditions

Many children experience problems with their ears, ranging from infections to hearing loss to deformities. At Pediatric ENT Associates (PENTA) in Birmingham, Alabama, our skilled doctors have the training and experience necessary to diagnose and treat your child’s hearing problems. Pediatric ENT Associates specialize in the following conditions:

Hearing Loss

Through collaboration with the HEAR Center of Children’s of Alabama, our pediatric ENT experts in Birmingham help manage hearing loss in children. From initial diagnosis to fitting with a hearing aid or cochlear implant surgery to audio and speech therapy, the HEAR Center is with you and your child through every step of diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.

Cochlear Implants

The revolutionary cochlear implant program at PENTA, headed by Dr. Audie Woolley, has helped over 300 hearing impaired children to hear again. Pediatric cochlear implants are an option for children with profound or severe sensorineural hearing loss who do not benefit from external hearing aids. Cochlear implants consist of both internal and external components, and surgery is required to place the internal component into the inner ear. Getting a cochlear implant is a big decision that requires a high level of dedication to therapy and follow-up appointments, but it can also be a profoundly gratifying decision, as it can help your child to hear again.

Congenital Ear Anomalies

Pediatric ENT Associates in Birmingham has experience in the treatment of congenital hearing anomalies such as anotia, microtia, and atresia of the ear canal. Anotia is a condition in which the external ear is absent, while microtia is a mild to severe deformity of the external ear. Microtia is often accompanied by atresia, which is a condition in which the external ear canal is malformed or absent.

If a child is born with an ear anomaly, it is vital to have their hearing checked as soon as possible. Children with bilateral microtia and atresia will require hearing aids, and speech and auditory therapy is important as well to promote speech and cognitive development. Reconstruction of the ear can be done as young as age 6 in both bilateral and unilateral microtia cases.

Ear Infections and Tube Placement

When children suffer from chronic ear infections, a safe and common solution is the placement of myringotomy tubes. Especially in young children, sometimes fluid builds up in the middle ear after an infection. This fluid can lead to further infections and even hearing loss if not allowed to drain properly. Myringotomy tubes create a small hole in the eardrum which allows fluid to drain. These tubes are a great help in preventing chronic infections as well as hearing loss from infection. The doctors at Pediatric ENT Associates in Birmingham are highly experienced and skilled at the placement of myringotomy tubes, and will ensure that your child receives the best care possible before, during, and after surgery.